Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: A Being Who Transcends Time (1)
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⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 《 ~Hidden Stage~ Underworld, Razor-Sharp Azure Realm 》 -Creak!
"…But is it really okay? Letting her meet the Master like this. With that jerk's personality, he'll definitely try to make a move on her first."
Alena said as she entered the room.
Alena was worried.
There wasn't any special reason for her concern—it stemmed simply from the thought that it would be a shame to lose this woman here.
The demon taking the form of a high elf lay peacefully asleep on the bed. No matter how tough she was said to be, Alena couldn't feel at ease when she considered what kind of existence her master was.
Frankly, he wasn't even worth calling "master," but it was undeniable that he had raised them and taught them magic.
And that he possessed transcendent powers, too.
So, she worried if this woman might never wake up...
If Cyan gave even the slightest bit of her heart there, she'd end up bound in the master's grasp forever.
Deep down, Alena hoped Cyan would realize that.
That if she gave her heart to that man, she'd never be able to escape...
It was only natural for Alena to worry, since she'd experienced it herself.
"It's fine. She kept her wits about her even after seeing you, Alena, so there shouldn't be any issues meeting the Master."
Yet Erena, of all people, didn't seem worried about Cyan at all.
Far from fretting, she sat in her chair, calmly sipping her tea as if nothing could possibly go wrong.
Erena had emptied half her cup, leisurely savoring the aroma.
The tea she was drinking was the very same one Cyan had sipped just moments ago.
The tea that had suddenly set Cyan's body ablaze and sharpened her senses.
"Hmmm... that's creepy."
-Clink!
Alena examined the teacup, sniffing the faint 'scent of death' wafting from it before instantly pulling back.
She meticulously checked to make sure none of the tea had splashed onto her face, then spoke with a look of disgust.
"It's really amazing, isn't it? Both you, sis, and that demon—how are you two even alive after drinking that stuff?"
How could they drink something that was basically lethal poison—certain death for her—and come out unscathed?
She had every reason to be curious, especially since they'd both savored it.
"...Tea made from the flowers of the underworld kills you the instant you drink it if you're unqualified."
This tea was brewed from the dried petals of the 'Irkala' flower that bloomed in the underworld.
Irkala—even a dragon that had lived for thousands of years would drop dead from a single drop if it was made into tea.
It had a divinely sweet aroma and a warm, exquisite flavor in return, but in the end, it was something no one could drink.
Just thinking about what happened the last time she'd dared a sip made Alena shiver uncontrollably.
She was someone who even enjoyed the pain inflicted on her, but 'death' was something she could never enjoy...
Yet there had been two people who could drink this tea without issue: Great Sage Erena and Cyan, who had just drunk it moments ago.
In other words, drinking this tea required special qualifications.
And until yesterday, Erena had been the only one among hundreds who could drink it unscathed.
But now, one more person had joined that elite list.
Cyan.
"However, if you are qualified, you can meet the beings of the underworld. Even our master, who passed away long ago."
"...Whoa, that's chilling. What if this woman hadn't been qualified?"
"Then, per the Master's orders, she would've been offered up as one of the sacrifices he mentioned. And you'd have taken her body, just like before, Alena."
She didn't know exactly what the qualifications were, but Cyan had clearly met them.
Not just one condition, but several.
Even fulfilling some wouldn't cut it—if you failed the rest, your body might live, but your soul would be dragged to the underworld.
That had happened to thousands over centuries—hundreds, at least.
To be precise, they weren't truly dead; empty shells still breathed in Alena's room right now.
But they might as well have been—they were hollow inside.
All of them had touched the tea to their lips and been pulled into the underworld.
Once dragged there, there was no escaping.
In the end, they'd all become Alena's dolls.
Hollow shells functioning as mana factories day in and day out.
They even served as her bedmates—that was part of a doll's duties too.
A few had their bodies broken in the process and truly died.
"Hmm, but if she doesn't wake up, can I have her body? That poison from earlier—the full-body paralysis was a thrilling new kind of pleasure."
"That's exactly why you can't drink this tea. How about being a little more chaste?"
Erena was well aware of her little sister's antics, of course.
She disapproved, but since it was her beloved sister's one and only hobby, she never scolded her harshly.
Besides, they were as good as dead anyway. And the women dragged to the underworld all wore blissful expressions.
...Because they were sharing eternal, unending love with their master there.
Right now, they were essentially slaves, moaning in the underworld.
No matter how much they resisted at first, they always ended up accepting it.
If they held even the tiniest affection for him—if they showed even the faintest interest—that was it.
They'd be trapped there forever, reduced to mindless idiots chasing nothing but pleasure in the underworld.
Considering her master's hobbies, Alena's seemed almost normal by comparison.
Even if they were dolls she'd procured herself, Alena at least put in the time and effort to craft them by hand.
Unlike her master, who enslaved them without lifting a finger.
Well, truth be told, Alena's hobby had been influenced by the master too.
Still, Erena rarely punished her harshly, even exploiting their shared senses when Alena played her games.
"If I become chaste, I can drink the tea?"
"Exactly."
However, there was one thing that made even Erena lose her temper...
"But honestly, staying a virgin for tens of thousands of years like you just to drink a cup of tea? No thanks."
Alena snickered and shook her head.
"...What did you say?"
"Ah, sorry! It was a joke. Just let it slide."
Referring to her as a 'virgin.'
-Crackle!
"Alena, say that one more time. Who are you calling a virgin?"
"Wait... I was wrong?! I'm sorry!"
"Looks like your punishment wasn't enough, Alena."
In the end, Erena's wrath came down, and Alena found herself strung up once more.
This time, in front of the forest spirits, no less.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 2.
Time passed, and my consciousness slowly began to return.
Once it fully did, I realized I'd been transported to some unknown space.
Where was this place?
No signs of life energy anywhere—just endless cold shadows.
"...So, you're the latest offering she brought in."
-Thud.
And in this place, someone was looking me over.
His gaze raked over every inch of my body, lingering far too long on my lower abdomen.
By the way, where were my clothes?
There was no sensation of fabric on my skin. It felt like I'd been left stark naked.
Wait, no—looking closer, I was wearing underwear.
At least they'd left me that much.
The problem was how thin it was, practically see-through, and how little it covered.
Might as well be completely nude.
It was starting to piss me off.
"Virgin confirmed, and those full breasts... I want to taste you right now. Should I just go for it?"
Vulgar words whispered right in my ear.
"Ah, it's so hard to hold back. When's she gonna wake up?"
-Thud, thud, thud. He kept circling me, eyeing me up like merchandise at auction.
He hadn't laid a hand on me yet, but his eyes might as well have groped every part.
...This felt familiar.
I'd felt this gaze somewhere before.
Right—like back in the black market when I'd let myself get caught on purpose, and the staff appraised my "value" with eyes just like these.
I'd been draped in nothing but a sheer scrap of cloth, limbs bound, enduring that scrutiny from hundreds of nobles.
And now...
-Clank!
The chains rattled as I moved.
My body was shackled to the wall.
Taking stock again, I was bound tight with chains, kneeling, my wrists supporting my weight.
This felt like a prison cell.
And the chains bound my chest too, making it hard to breathe.
Every inhale pushed my breasts up against the unyielding metal, like they'd been tied that way on purpose.
His tastes were seriously twisted.
"No one but me can undo those chains. They're unbreakable too—don't waste your strength."
As he'd said, the chains held me fast with a sturdiness I couldn't budge, let alone snap.
They were clearly reinforced with mana or some higher power—indestructible.
So who chained me up like this...?
No need to overthink it.
The culprit was right in front of me, smirking as he noticed me staring, chuckling smugly.
"Oh, giving me the full stare-down, huh? I am pretty handsome, yeah. Go ahead, drink it in—this is the face of your future husband, so burn it into your memory."
Flashy golden hair like an elf's, but a bronzed, muscled build that sure wasn't...
He looked familiar, but... nah, just my imagination?
Separately, his words grated—what was that about "future husband"? It sent a gross shiver down my spine, like my skin was crawling off.
Was this guy another hero type?
'I'm so sick of this.'
Lately, I hadn't met a single normal guy.
And that was no exaggeration.
Rescue a dragon from a slave trader, and it turns out to be reading yuri novels. Then the Demon King and hero types sucking face like it's a freak show.
And now these two pervert high elves treating me like a toy before dumping me here.
I was losing my mind.
"Anyway, looks like you're finally awake. Time to seal our vow of love first."
I'll think about that later.
Opening my eyes had blown my cover.
He flashed a sleazy grin, licking his lips as he approached.
Compared to that, all I had covering me was thin underwear—and these chains showed zero signs of give, no matter how I strained.
If this kept up, he'd do whatever he wanted.
And that "vow of love"? Probably some ultimate mind-control spell.
Mind magic like that required top-tier mastery even among mages, so he was at least court archmage level.
If I tried casting anything, he'd notice first.
One slip, and I'd eat a counterspell.
"Once we make the vow, everything will feel so good and peaceful. No need to be scared—just stay still and—"
In the end, I squeezed my eyes shut.
Casting magic right now wasn't ideal, and breaking the chains was out too. This was my best bet.
-Crack!
"...What? How?!"
I flexed, shattering the restraint.
"Get lost!"
-Bam!
He flew back, smashing his head into the ground.
Ah, punching felt good after so long—cleansed my soul.
"Guh?!"
Breaking the chains themselves was tough, but undoing the restraint? Easy.
I'd precisely smashed the wall anchoring them, then socked him in the face with the chains still dangling.
"The only vow you're getting from me is a fist vow."
Sure, the chains were tough—unbreakable, no cracks no matter what.
But that only applied to the chains.
The wall holding them? Not so much.
The chains stayed intact when I strained, but the wall crumbled.
Call it a change of perspective. If you're chained solid, smash whatever the chain's bolted to.
Door you can't break? Punch the wall next to it.
That's exactly what I'd done.
Now then, time to hear what this guy has to say.
The man the great sages called "master"...
There was only one such being in this world.
And who was he?
"...Transcendent, Diavela."
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 【 Time's Transcendent, Diavela 】
"Ugh, that hurts. Haven't felt pain like this in ages..."
The renowned Time's Transcendent himself, Diavela.
Honestly, he looked less like a transcendent and more like a local thug.